Beat the Heat with a Cup of Hot Tea
We’re in that part of the year when we can no longer remember complaining about the cold and wishing for summer. When we get up in the morning, it’s already hot. When we go to bed, it’s still hot. We long for a break from the heat, and we’re chugging cold drinks. If we lived in Japan, India, the Middle East, or North Africa, though, we might take a different approach. It seems counterintuitive, but people in many other cultures reach for hot tea for relief from the heat. Is it merely a cultural habit? Scientists say it’s backed by cold, hard facts.
Why drink hot tea on a hot day?
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It does hydrate you! Yes, tea contains caffeine, which can have a diuretic effect, but not enough to negate the hydration from the water in which it is steeped. In fact, it does a better job of hydrating you than cool beverages do because warm fluids are absorbed by your body more efficiently than cold fluids.
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It supports your body’s natural cooling system. When you drink hot tea, your esophagus and stomach send messages to your body to start the evaporative cooling process (sweating). Even if you don’t realize it’s happening, your body begins to naturally expunge the heat energy. In other words, hot tea triggers your body to get rid of heat rather than store it!
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Hot tea provides you with more antioxidants than cold tea. Hot water extracts two to three times more antioxidants than cold water does, so you get more bang for your tea leaves!
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Hot tea is better at helping you digest your food than iced tea (or any other cold beverage). It supports the enzyme activity you need for digestion and promotes motility in your gut. While this benefit doesn’t necessarily make you feel cooler, it does support your digestive tract, which directly affects your immune system!
Obviously, if you get overheated or overexert yourself in the heat, get medical help. But if you’re just trying to get through the dog days of summer and longing for fall, keep enjoying your hot tea, and let it help you cope!
References
Bain AR, Lesperance NC, Jay O. Body heat storage during physical activity is lower with hot fluid ingestion under conditions that permit full evaporation. Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2012 Oct;206(2):98-108. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2012.02452.x. Epub 2012 Jun 9. PMID: 22574769.
Bohn, S.K., Ward, N.C., Hodgson, J.M., Croft, K.D., Loke, W.M., Puddey, I.B., Rich, L., Croft, J.I., & Woodman, R.J. (2014). Effects of black tea on body composition and metabolic outcomes related to cardiovascular disease risk: A randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 112(2), 207–214.
Lin, I. August 2024, 4 Benefits of Drinking Hot Tea in Summer
NPR, July 2012, Cool Down with a Hot Drink? It’s Not As Crazy As You Think
Stromberg, J. July 2012, A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down: A rigorous experiment revealed that on a hot, dry day, drinking a hot beverage can help your body stay cool
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/
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